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win e making Cross Flow as a Filtration Option Winemakers down under discuss when, why and how they filter By Kellie Arbuckle W ineries seeking a competitive edge are embracing filtration technologies, particularly cross-flow filtration, for its ability to produce quality results with reduced intervention. I spoke with four winemakers to get their thoughts on the topic: Sarah Crowe of Bimbadgen in New South Wales, Australia; Craig Thompson of Paringa Estate in Victoria, Australia; Clive Jones of Nautilus Estate, New Zealand, and Matthew Large of Wither Hills, New Zealand. This article first appeared in Australia and New Zealand Grapegrowers & Winemaker and is reprinted here with permission. polishing finished wine. After that, I used plate and frame, centrifuge, cross flow, depth filter cartridges and membrane filtration. Jones: Earth filtration in the early days and more recently cross-flow filtration. Large: Pad, plate and frame, earth (both RDV and vertical/ horizontal plate), lenticular, cross flow and membrane. What winery filtration equipment have you been exposed to over the years? Crowe: Pad filtration, (diatomaceous) earth filtration (rotary drum vacuum—RDV), plate and frame, pressure leaf filter and cross flow. Thompson: In the early days I used an RDV for lees filtration and an earth filter for What do you think has been the most significant research or development in wine filtration and why? Crowe: Probably cross flow and the insurance it can give when you need it. Thompson: The movement away from filters requiring the addition of a filtration medium such as diatomaceous earth (DE) to filtration such as centrifuge and cross flow, which operate on the principles of physics. Jones: Certainly cross-flow filtration has been a big advancement, and the concept of having alternative cartridges for lees and wine filtration looks very promising. Large: Over the past 10 years it has to be the Matthew Large is winemaker at Wither Hills in New Zealand. Sarah Crowe is senior winemaker at Australia's Bimbadgen. 38 W in es & V i ne s J U LY 2 0 13 Highlights • our winemakers in Australia and New Zealand share their F practices and preferences in filtration. • All of them filter all their wines to minimize the risk of spoilage. • hey cite a shift away from diatomaceous earth and toward T cross flow as the most significant recent development in wine filtration. development in better automated cross-flow technology and winemakers getting a better understanding of its application, especially in New Zealand. There has been a real push from a health and safety point of view to get away from the use of DE and also the fact that the new cross-flow machines can be run with minimal operator input. What forms of filtration are you currently using in the winery? Can you briefly describe the machines and the outcomes you are trying to deliver with each? Crowe: Pad filtration for premium reds and whites for Clive Jones joined Nautilus Estate as winemaker in 1998. gentle polishing before bottling; earth filtration for largevolume whites, clarification and polishing for bottling; and cross flow for some large red wine batches and insurance for exporting—especially if there's an amount of residual sugar. Thompson: We use a Bucher FX2 cross-flow filtration system in the winery. With the majority of our wines being Pinot Noir, we are aiming to reduce microbiological load with minimal impact on the fragile nature of the variety's character. Jones: We have a Della Toffola ceramic membrane cross-flow filter, which we Craig Thompson makes wine at Paringa Estate in Australia.